Which yeasts truly make the beer?

I've been realizing how much influence a good yeast has over a solid brew. I know. I know. Most of you were well beyond this level.

I have found that Wyeast's Weihenstephan Weizen 3068 really helps turn a plain wheat beer into a tasty German Hefeweizen without any specialty items added.

Are there any other yeasts that are this influential in modifying a beer?

Thanks.

honestly, and not to sound corny... any liquid (or dry) yeast can make a BIG difference if you blend it well with a recipe style it is suited for.

ronclark said:

Are there any other yeasts that are this influential in modifying a beer?

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Yes. All of them are.

I think you're getting at the fact that certain yeasts impart strong flavors of their own. If that's what you are looking for, many yeasts do that, in differing degrees. Many Belgian, Hefe's, and saison yeasts impart very noticeable flavors on the finished beers and are critical for certain styles. English yeasts tend to be estery. Depending on the type used, some people might not even notice it, other's will greatly enjoy it.

There's other factors involved, like pitching rate and temperature of fermentation. You have to remember that yeasts are a living organism and will respond differently under varied conditions.

Airborneguy said:

I think you're getting at the fact that certain yeasts impart strong flavors of their own. If that's what you are looking for, many yeasts do that, in differing degrees. Many Belgian, Hefe's, and saison yeasts impart very noticeable flavors on the finished beers and are critical for certain styles. English yeasts tend to be estery. Depending on the type used, some people might not even notice it, other's will greatly enjoy it.

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Yes, that's correct of course. But my point was that ALL of them provide character and flavor- even "neutral" flavor IS a flavor when you think about it.

English ales may have an ester quality, but also some diacetyl (like toffee) notes. Some English ale yeast will provide a minerally charactery. Some of the clean American ale yeast will enhance the hops, or the malt character. So, it's still a yeast driven character, if that makes sense.

Think about some of the Belgian strains. Some give the beer a flavor like bubblegum, while others are like ripe plums. Some of the lager strains make the malt shine through in a full way.

Yeast choice and character is a HUGE part of the beer's flavor.

gotta go with yooper. my first thought before i clicked on this thread was "all of them".

all yeast contribute a character and your setting the proper conditions, or not, make all the difference. use a stir plate and temp control, then you can properly play with yeast characteristics. improper pitching rates and lack of temp control takes everything out of your control and generally not as good.

If your looking for names of the yeasts that make very different tastes and therefore make good beers. These are my favorites with taste descriptions

Heffe 3068 Banana and clove
Irish Estry
British-English Estry
Scottish smokey and sweet
"clean ale" 1056 very much like a lager
lagers really clean (lump them all together)
belgian spicy (you could write a whole book on these)

I would try one type of all these yeasts and the styles that go with them (look a Jamils book for recipes). That's what I did and then take the BJCP Class to figure out what the descriptions mean to you.

I can say for sure without a doubt that wyeast 3787 Trappist high gravity absolutely hands down makes the Parersbier recipe from NB. That yeast creates more flavor on its own than some beers I've had or brewed. It's insanely complex and allows you to ferment at at all temp ranges. I've brewed with one Belgian strain (this one) and its already my favorite....

yodalegomaster said:

If your looking for names of the yeasts that make very different tastes and therefore make good beers. These are my favorites with taste descriptions

Heffe 3068 Banana and clove
Irish Estry
British-English Estry
Scottish smokey and sweet
"clean ale" 1056 very much like a lager
lagers really clean (lump them all together)
belgian spicy (you could write a whole book on these)

I would try one type of all these yeasts and the styles that go with them (look a Jamils book for recipes). That's what I did and then take the BJCP Class to figure out what the descriptions mean to you.

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For the hefe 3068 what temp do you ferment at and how large of a starter. I'm debating between this yeast and wlp300 for my dubkelweissen

Pitch some champaign yeast into your carefully concocted wort and weep.

It will at very least make you appreciate the carefully bred yeasts we use today!

plumbob said:

Pitch some champaign yeast into your carefully concocted wort and weep.

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Thank you! Almost shot beer through my nose

I think this PDF sums up why it is hard to characterize why yeast does what it does to beers http://www.whitelabs.com/beer/BelgianYeastStrains.pdf

It all comes down to what you want. Some people really don't like one yeast while another person has great success with it.

It is also why certain styles dominated regions. You couldn't brew an ESB in Prague and you couldn't brew a pilsner in Dublin even when you have the same grains, hops and yeast.

But, my happiest results have come from all the saison single strains (some I have blended to varying degrees), pac man yeast, Chico, and London I and III, and American lager (wyeast).

daveooph131 said:

For the hefe 3068 what temp do you ferment at and how large of a starter. I'm debating between this yeast and wlp300 for my dubkelweissen

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Wyeast 3068 and WLP300 are the same exact yeast strain.

Proper fermentation temperature for German wheat beer is 62F (17C).

Do not use an airlock, use a blowoff tube. Very high krausen and vigorous fermentation. Recommend a 6-6.5 gallon carboy for a 5 gallon batch.

There's a saying Man makes the wort, yeast makes the beer

This question is akin to "what bread makes a truly great sandwich". Whatever bread you choose you're going to get a sandwich just like whatever yeast you choose, you're going to get beer. Is it the best yeast for the style or accentuating the flavors of the particular type of beer? There are more versatile yeast just like there is versatile kinds of bread. Ok maybe I'm going too far with this analogy, but I think it fits...